Report: State Could Improve Policy, Offset Oil Costs
NRDC Report Says Transportation Planning Can Buffer Automotive Fuel Costs
Vermont could be doing more to protect its citizens from the high costs
of fuel oil for our cars and trucks, according to a new report released
by the Natural Resources Defense Council, a national environmental
group.
States that adopt laws to promote clean and efficient vehicles, prevent
sprawl, and invest in public transit, are helping protect their citizens
from high oil prices, according to the report, "Fighting Oil Addiction:
Ranking States' Oil Vulnerability and Solutions for Change."
"Based on this report, the results for Vermont are mixed," said Brian
Shupe, the sustainable communities director and energy co-director for
the Vermont Natural Resources Council. "Despite our green image and
reputation for forward-thinking policy, this report shows that Vermont
is not among the most innovative states when it comes to taking steps to
reduce our reliance on oil for transportation."
The report highlights two critical areas related to our nation's
addiction to oil: vulnerability to high oil prices and implementation by
states of policy alternatives and solutions.
Vermont ranks 16th among the 50 states with regard to the specific
policy steps the state is taking to cut down on oil use, but it
highlights some gaps. The report also shows that the state is relatively
vulnerable to high oil prices based on Vermonters' incomes. According to
the report, Vermont motorists spent an average of $1,856 on gasoline in
2007. This amounts to 5.1 percent of the average income, making the
state the 31st most vulnerable to high oil prices. The report does not
consider oil use for heating.
One area in which the NRDC report finds Vermont lagging relates to
growth management and planning.
"Several states have an agency that coordinates development policies
with state spending decisions to promote smart growth and avoid sprawl,"
Shupe explained, "but Vermont lacks such an entity. We did get points
for Act 200 (Vermont's planning and growth management law), although the
state agency planning requirements of that law have been ignored for
over a decade."
The report also noted that Vermont lacks a target for reducing vehicle
miles traveled by Vermonters. Between 2000 and 2005, the average number
of vehicle miles traveled increased by 11 percent.
"This is largely because we're developing communities that are not
walkable and are difficult to serve by transit," Shupe said. "Greater
efforts to promote smart growth, avoid scattered, low density
development and invest in alternative transportation are critical to
reducing our vulnerability to sticker shock at the gas pump."
According to the report, the five states implementing the most
comprehensive policies to reduce oil use are California, followed by New
York, Connecticut, Washington and Pennsylvania. In New England, Rhode
Island, Maine and Massachusetts also rank ahead of Vermont.
For a copy of the full report go to www.nrdc.org/media/2008/080722.asp
Report: State Could Improve Policy, Offset Oil Costs
Submitted by tim
on